


Sandcastle Dreams

by 2manylarks



Category: The OC
Genre: Mid-episode one-off, Season 1 Ep 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-02-03 01:38:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1726451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2manylarks/pseuds/2manylarks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A one-off placed in the middle of episode 7 during season 1. After the fantastic four have an accident and are stuck at a crappy motel. Melissa has just gotten the news that her father is moving out and her parents are getting divorced.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sandcastle Dreams

His shoulder dug into the pathetic slip of a mattress, and he could feel the circles of the springs beneath. His bones pressed together. He wanted nothing more than to turn over, but he couldn’t. Marissa took up the other half of the barely-there mattress. After the conversation Ryan had overheard he knew she was awake, and stiffness rolled off of her more icy than anything the air conditioning was blowing out.

He took a shallow breathe pretending to be asleep and the odor assaulted him. Must, bleach, and undertones of sour filled his nose. Once he had lived in places like this. He could still remember moving every few months with his mom, when she couldn’t pay the rent and they would be evicted. Every now and then he had moments like this, when he realized how adjusted he was to life at the Cohen’s. It wasn’t just having a maid, the lack of spilled beer bottles and half empty schnapps made a difference. He took another breath and found the yeasty smell that colored his childhood memories.

While his childhood might not have been glorious he didn’t have any delusions and there wasn’t anything left to fall apart. Not like Marissa. Her family was falling apart at this very moment and he couldn’t do anything. He wanted to turn around and tell her everything was going to be okay, that she was strong enough to handle this, that her dad was moving out but not abandoning her. Ryan took a breath ready to turn around, and then stopped as the mattress creaked.

He had no idea how to make this better. He couldn’t put her world back together any more than he could stop it falling apart. He sighed softly. It was going to be a long night without any sleep.

 

 

_Ryan stirred the pot of noodles as he emptied the cheese packet. He poured in the milk after a quick sniff to check if it was sour, and reached for the butter. The lightness of the container told him it was empty without needing to check. He sighed and kept mixing, at least there was milk._

_He grabbed a soda out of the fridge and carried the yellow off brand can and his bowl of macaroni and cheese over to the couch. While he shoveled in food and watched cartoons his mother stumbled into the living room. Bleary eyed and smoking a cigarette she barely looked at Ryan before opening a beer. He hunched down and ignored her fumbling around in the kitchen._

_His brother came in and grabbed a soda from the fridge scowling at their mother as he did so._

_“You got something to say?” She spit at Trey._

_Trey was a foot shorter than her and still a lanky teenager but he silently stared her down. “What? You worthless piece of shit you got something to say?” His mother’s voice rose and Ryan heard shifting sounds from the bedroom. He rubbed his hands on his sides, and turned the TV volume up just a little bit._

_His mother’s latest “friend” ambled into the room rubbing his eyes asking “Is there a problem here?” He’s been around for maybe a month, but Ryan couldn’t really remember his name. He was a big guy managing to be almost as wide as he was tall without being fat. He filled the doorway to the living room completely, as he glanced briefly at Ryan before glaring at Trey._

_As soon as he was past the doorway Ryan lurched out of the living room, and he stepped outside to the sounds of yelled threats and a beer bottle breaking._

 

_He walked down the two steps to the front door into the bright light of the beach. He looked down at the sand and saw his favorite tennis shoes from when he was a nine. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were printed on the side and the heels lit up with each step. He had wanted them desperately but knew better than to ask for them. He had woken up one morning to find them on his bed and Trey smiling like an idiot. Ryan had loved them so much he wore them until they were full of holes, but he had never asked Trey where they came from._

_He carefully took them off and squished his toes in the sand. He stared down drawing lines in the sand._

_"Ooof!" Something smacked into him knocking him to the ground._

_“Sorry!” Squeaked a small blond girl, as she pulled herself up. She was thin as rail, around his own age, and seemed to contain large amounts of energy. She shifted shyly on her feet not meeting Ryan’s eye as he stood up._

_He starred at her._

_“I’m Marissa.” She said quickly glancing up at him while dragging her toe across the sand._

_“I’m rah….cough I’m Ryan.” He said blushing._

_“What are your drawing?” She asked looking by his feet._

_He had drawn something resembling a big house with two crud stick figures in the yard. “Its me and my brother Trey.” He answered embarrassed by his stick figures which were much larger than the windows or doors._

_“O, is that your house?” She said pointing with her toe._

_“He glanced at her briefly and blushed. “Not exactly.” Ryan ran his foot over the house and figures erasing them._

_“Do you want to see my sand castle?” She asked with enthusiasm._

_Ryan nodded quickly._

_“It’s this way!” She took off running, and he burst after her smiling. He caught up with her by the lifeguard tower, and she slowed down and started talking._

_“I built it with my dad! It’s ginormous, and has three towers.” She was all smiles as she looked over at Ryan who nodded to keep her talking. “My dad built the towers, but I helped and dug the moat.” She froze all of sudden as the water lapped her feet. Her face creased into frown as she looked away from Ryan forward toward a wet sand pile._

_“O no!” She whispered and sprinted forward. “Our sandcastle!”_

_The tide had come in. The pile of sand was slowly sinking into the water with each wave, as Marissa got closer her dad joined her. Ryan stood back and watched her cry as her dad hugged her close. He wrapped an arm around her and guided her out of the ankle deep water explaining they would build another sandcastle higher up_.

_Ryan looked at them for a minute and turned around. Only when he was back on dry sand did he realize he had completely lost his shoes._

 

 

Ryan woke slowly with images of sandcastles dancing before his eyes. He felt something shift against his chest and arms. He realized Marissa was in his arms about the same moment he felt her turn slightly. His hand was wrapped around her wrist and his body was molded to hers perfectly.

The awkwardness of the moment made him freeze and his chest tightened, as did did his grip at the idea of having to let her go in a few seconds.


End file.
